Monday, May 10, 2010

Phil calls Brantford "small-town Ontario"

in my part of the country, small town Ontario, $3.1 million is a lot of money

Is "small-town Ontario" how we want the world to see Brantford? Absolutely not.

Brantford is a city moving from its proud industrial past into an even prouder knowledge-based economy. Its past: Brantford was once the third-largest manufacturing exporter in Canada, and a rail hub for Southwestern Ontario. Its future: education, skilled workers, innovation. "Small-town Ontario" is not a phrase that will attract investment and respect.

And Brantford is clearly a city. It has been a city since 1877. Census Canada requires a census metropolitan area to have a regional population of at least 100,000 with a core population of 50,000. Brantford clearly meets this requirement. Brantford is a metropolis!

Brantford is the 31st-largest city in Canada. It is larger than St. John, NB; Peterborough, ON; and the birthplace of Confederation Charlottetown, PEI.

Brantford is not "small-town Ontario." Brantford is a city, a metropolis looking to the future. Phil McColeman has insulted Brantford. He should set the record straight.